


Feel Like Falling

by LyraWinters



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Divergent - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore Bashing, Foreign Languages, Harry is an Honorary Slytherin, Hermione Granger Bashing, Implied Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Kid Fic, M/M, Molly Weasley Bashing, Mpreg, Not HP/SS, Ron Weasley Bashing, Sirius Black Lives, Sirius and Remus take Harry and Run, Slash, wizarding university
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-26
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2018-10-24 02:51:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10732632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyraWinters/pseuds/LyraWinters
Summary: After the Department of Ministries debacle, Harry decides he's had enough. After exposing the deceit and treachery of certain members of the 'Light', Harry leaves Wizarding Britain with Sirius and Remus. Ten years later, he returns with an entourage of students and an unexpected little guest to Hogwarts in the after-math of an attack on his work-place. Severus Snape has his work cut out for him when he realizes that Harry wasn't the same person he was when he left at the end of his Fifth Year, and maybe he didn't even know the real Harry back then.*ON HIATUS UNTIL INSPIRATION AND MOTIVATION RETURN*





	1. The Departure

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own most of the characters or the series that inspired this fic. That was JKR.  
> Hey Guys! If you see any typos, feel free to let me know. Also, I'll be adding tags as I remember them. Feel free to comment and don't forget to leave me some Kudos.

“Potter?”

Harry glanced up from the letter he was writing. Draco Malfoy was leaning against the bookshelf Harry had huddled behind at the back of the library. He eyebrows were scrunched in concern.

“Yeah?”

“Why aren’t you with the Weasel and Know-it-all? You know, celebrating your victory and all?” The blond asked and with practiced ease, flicked his wand to cast a privacy ward before sitting next to the dark-haired boy.

Harry held up a hand while he used the other to shuffle between the parchments in front of him. Not thirty seconds later, he held out one of them to Draco.

“What’s this?”

“Read it. It’ll answer your question,” Harry murmured, taking off his glasses before running a hand down his tired face. He could almost recite the note verbatim.

 

_ Ron, _

_ The dog is still kicking and the wolf is with him. Keep Potter distracted and don’t lose him. The Headmaster has decided to leave him ignorant of this development. Until further instruction be the sympathetic best-friend please? I’ll meet you in our usual place fifteen minutes after the end of lunch in our corridor. Burn this note when you’re done as usual. _

_ Hermione _

 

Harry watched as disbelief covered his actual best friend’s face.

“How did you get this?”

The green-eyed boy smirked with wry amusement. “It’s like they forget I have an invisibility cloak and a map that tells me where people are at any given time. Ron was acting suspicious so right after he got the note I distracted him, copied it and took the original. Call it collecting evidence.”

“Magical signature proof,” Draco stated in understanding. “So what are you doing?”

Harry bit his lip, looking back down at the letter in his lap. “Could you pass out a few letters for me, discreetly?”

“Was Salazar Slytherin a Parselmouth?” Draco huffed in pretend offense. Harry rolled his eyes before taking back the note. He finished up the letter, put it in an envelope and handed it to the blond.

“This goes to Remus and Sirius. It’s addressed only to Remus, just in case.”

Draco took it out of the envelope to read, knowing that Harry didn’t care about hiding the contents from him. “This looks believable. Aren’t you worried that if it’s intercepted that they’ll see the real letter underneath?”

Harry snorted. “They think I’m an idiot, remember? They wouldn’t believe that I’m cunning enough to do something like conceal a secret message.”

Draco nodded before sealing it in the envelope.

The letter appeared to be an apology to Remus for running into danger and getting Sirius killed. However, if it was tapped with a wand and they solemnly swore that they were up to no good, using their Marauder name - the intended message would be revealed. It was a system that Sirius, Remus and Harry had put into effect when they realised that someone was intercepting their mail. As unlocking the message only released the innate magic of the already charmed parchment they used, Harry could read and send them even while stuck with the Dursleys.

To the general public, Harry Potter was a reckless, self-sacrificing, hot-headed, Slytherin-hating Gryffindor - only really good at defense, mediocre in other core subjects and dreadful in potions. The truth however was that part-way through the Tri-Wizard Tournament the previous year, he’d called a truce with a few of the Slytherins in his year. In private of course, he didn’t need all his resources public knowledge. After Ron had come back to him in the aftermath of the terrifying-fire-breathing-momma-dragon incident that was the first task, he hadn’t really trusted the redhead or even Hermione come to it. 

Living with the Dursleys had taught Harry to pick his fights wisely. He’d learnt to embrace his Slytherin side a while ago and to take advantage where he could, to not be overly naive and to accept his ambitious side. With all the time he’d gotten alone in fourth year, he’d done a lot of studying - both for his survival and the interest he’d suppressed out of some twisted sense of duty to Ronald to remain his academic equal. So this year, for his OWLs, he’d given it his all. He’d loved learning when he was in muggle school but didn’t have much time, what with the Dursleys over-working him and locking him up otherwise. Harry took whatever chances he got to sneak into the public and school libraries when he could. Between Voldemort’s return last year and his defeat at Harry’s hand a few days previously, Harry had spent quite a while reading books on social psychology and human behaviour and that had helped him notice inconsistencies in his past - many of which had the annoying underlying philosophy of ‘Dumbledore said’.

After him and Blaise Zabini started hanging out, Draco had joined in – pouting before he realised that Harry wasn’t much like how he portrayed himself in public. It had become normal to see Harry Potter sprawled out in the Slytherin common room either in front of the fireplace or at the window so he could make faces at and entertain the merpeople’s children along with the first years. The entirety of the Slytherins surprisingly kept his presence a secret out of smug superiority that they were in on the con that was the “Boy-Who-Lived”, unlike the rest of the school and the staff. Even Snape had never found out because the portraits about and in the Slytherin common room liked Harry and they, along with the engraved snakes in the area, warned him if Snape was in the vicinity so he could hide or escape. The fact that they were pulling one over the  _ entire  _ Wizarding World was enough for even the reluctant Slytherins to keep quiet and for the rest, Harry made deals ranging from sneaking them food from the kitchens and butterbeer from Hogsmeade to tutoring them in DADA. The last was in repayment for prior warnings of Umbridge from her ‘Inquisitorial Squad’.

Essentially, he was the Defense teacher that year for almost the entire school - three houses in the DA and Slytherin in their common room.  

“Anything else you need me to send out?” Draco asked, breaking him out of his thoughts.

“Pass these to Luna - I doubt she needs them. She probably already knows I’ll be leaving, but the others are for Ginny, Neville and the twins.”

“Will I see you again?” Draco asked, standing up and tucking the letters in his robe pockets.

“Of course,” Harry seemed startled at the possibility of not seeing the blond again. “Once Dumbly is out of the way, I’ll send Dobby to you with letters.”

Draco had eventually told Harry that he’d been the one to send Dobby to Harry after over-hearing some rather disturbing conversations his father had with his contemporaries. As House-elves can’t survive without a family, Harry bonded Dobby to himself, Sirius and Remus early in fifth year to have a secure means of communication. After getting back from the Ministry, Harry wondered at his irrational reaction and asked Daphne Greengrass, the daughter of an Auror, to check him for compulsions. She found numerous ones keyed to Dumbledore, Granger and Weasley.

“But you’re not coming back to Hogwarts are you?”

“Definitely not. The education is sub-par at best, and my life has been in danger every year since I got here. I’ll probably privately study or get tutored for my N.E.W.T.s before I go to Uni. We can meet up at Yule; This summer is going to be pretty busy.”

“Well,” Draco sighed before leaning down and pressing a chaste kiss to Harry’s lips. “I wish you happiness, Harry Potter. To you and your dogfathers. When are you leaving?”

Used to Draco’s affectionate tendencies, Harry returned the kiss to the blond's cheek and continued to shuffle some of his papers around before stacking them in the order he desired.

“I’ve finished packing already. I’m sneaking out as soon as dinner begins and sending Dobby to delivers the vials of my memories and all the evidence to Madam Bones from the Diagon Alley Post Office so it can’t be intercepted. After that, he’ll pick me up from the Shrieking Shack and take me to Gr – Siri’s house which we’ll lock down except to let in Siri and Remy. Then we’ll discuss where to go. I even got Pettigrew while at the Ministry; I just didn’t tell anyone else.” Harry smirked at the thought of the rat squealing in the tiny ventilated box he’d warded and stored in his trunk. He would deliver him to Madam Bones in person once she replied to his letter.

Draco threw his head back as he laughed. He clapped Harry’s shoulder before reaching the end of the wards around the secluded area. “If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know. I do owe you for getting my father out of the way, remember?”

“As if I could forget,” Harry rolled his eyes before standing up and beginning to take down the privacy and one-way silencing wards with a few murmurs and practiced flicks of his wand. He held out his arms for a hug, and after being enthusiastically squished, was put back down and allowed to breathe. “Tell the other snakes it was nice knowing them and if they can put proper security spells on their letters, to feel free to send them to me.”

“I will.”

“I guess I’ll see you when I see you then.”

“You’re so uncultured, Potter.”

“Sod off, you git.”

“You know you love me.”

“Only when you sneak me Treacle Tarts free of compulsion  potions.”

“You know it.” 

                                                                                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter End ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	2. The Aftermath - Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been over a month since I posted the first chapter and I'm sorry but Uni has been keeping me busy. Hopefully I'll update sooner next time. I wrote this chapter in one sitting. Also thank you so much for the many kudos and the comments I got last chapter - they're what pushed me to continue writing this.

Hogwarts was in chaos.

It took a day for the residents of the castle to realize that Harry Potter was no longer on the premises. It took another day before they realised that no one had any idea where he had gone – well, except for one blond Slytherin.

Draco smirked as he calmly went about his business, eating lunch and watching the other students and select members of the staff melt down.

“I assume he said goodbye to you?” Blaise’s voice came as a soft murmur.

Draco nodded. “He said he’d write as well. I was going to wait until his absence was noted before talking to the snakes in the common room.”

“So tonight?”

“Indeed.”

After making sure their head of house was busy in a staff meeting, Draco and Blaise called a house meeting. They’d also snuck in the female Weasley, Lovegood and Longbottom.

“Oi, you lot! Listen to Blondie!” A female voice yelled out, quieting the room down.

“Yes, thank you Weaselette,” Draco sneered at her.

“Wasn’t a problem, Ferret.”

“Why are they here?” Pansy asked in a nasally whine, leaning against Draco’s shoulder and stumbling when he stepped away from her.

“I refuse to repeat myself, that’s why. Everyone, Potter wanted me to let you know that he’s fine and left of his own accord-”

“Then why didn’t you tell the staff?” Theo interrupted.

Draco raised an eyebrow at him. “Partly because I didn’t have a plausible reason why I would be the one Harry would confide in… But mostly because I thought it would be amusing to watch them run around like chickens with their heads cut off.” He paused as his audience laughed. “Also, don’t interrupt me. As I was saying – Harry has left and he won’t be coming back to Hogwarts. He’s allowed that if you can be discreet, you may write to him but I would prefer you wait until you have reached back home. That way no meddling coots will be intercepting them. Understood? Good. You’re dismissed.”

The non-slytherins made their way over to him and after erecting a privacy bubble around them and Blaise, Longbottom spoke up.

“What makes you so sure they won’t tell anyone how Harry is so friendly with most everyone here?”

“If the pure Slytherinness of having a secret this big won’t do it, Harry, Blaise and I put a  _ geas _ on them without their knowledge. No one’s going to talk,” Draco assured them. He reached into his robe pocket and handed out the letters Harry had asked him to pass out. Blaise had let him know that Harry had met him just before he left.

“That one’s for your demon brothers,” The blond boy told Ginny, giving her the leftover letter.

“Got it.”

They dissolved the privacy bubble and settled down to talk for a little while.

“How’s Vesuvius, Draco?” Luna interrupted the conversation suddenly, her eyes going out of focus for a split second before focusing on him.

Draco frowned at her. “My owl is fine, Lovegood. Why do you ask?”

“Parkinson tried to spill to the professors but the  _ geas _ stopped her. She could only get out that you needed to be talked to and she could only say it to Professor Snape. Dumbledore heard her and put tracking charms on your owl just in case.”

“Snape’s on his way here now,” Ginny alerted them. Harry had given her the Marauders Map a few days previously and she unlocked it as soon as Luna started talking. “We have to leave.”

Neville and Luna stood up with her and they hurried out of the Slytherin Common Room and headed for a secret passage Harry had shown them that lead to the second floor from that corridor. The wall had just slid shut behind them when Snape turned the corner, missing them by seconds.

 

                                                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Amelia Bones was bent over paperwork. With the defeat of Voldemort by Harry Potter and the multiple Death Eater arrests, she had become twice as busy in the past few days.

A tap on her window had her looking up. A medium-sized tawny owl was waiting on her ledge. With a wave of her wand, the window opened and the owl flew into her office. It landed on her desk and waited patiently for her to finish her detection charms on the large package. She didn’t become Head of the DMLE without being cautious after all.

When nothing came back as positive, she untied it and let the owl fly back out. First, she opened the letter attached to the package.

 

_Miss Amelia Bones,_

_ I’ve never written an official letter so I apologise if I’ve made any errors in the formatting. We’ve met only once (for my hearing last summer), and you struck me as one of the few capable members of the Ministry of Magic that I’ve come across. This is why I chose to write to you and I hope it was a sound choice. If you open the package, you will find a rat. It is Peter Pettigrew in his animagus form. Now I know that it sounds impossible, but please give me a chance. I’ve also sent you multiple vials of memories and they include – the first time I came across him, my following meeting with the Minister, Voldemort’s resurrection night, the after-math of that, and the battle at the Ministry this past month and other certain enlightening instances. I write to you in the hope that my Godfather can finally have justice after having spent twelve years in Azkaban – innocent and without even a trial - and being on the run since then. _

_In addition to that, I’ve also sent you letters and notes I’ve collected over the past two years that have shed some not very flattering light on certain members of Wizarding society. I’ve sent you the originals so that you can ascertain magical signatures and the identities of the writers. Just in case, I’ve also kept multiple copies in case they’re needed._

_You might want to arrest Dolores Umbridge as I’ve only just recently learned that it is illegal to make someone use a blood quill if not for official documentation, let alone for hours on end and day after day. I’ve collected evidence of it happening to other students as well and I’ve added everyone’s reports and pictures of their injuries to the pile._

_And finally, I’ve also attached documents I’ve collected from Gringotts. They are copies of my accounts and I’ve marked down instances where withdrawals have been made for me or on my behalf – anything else is theft. Though the Goblin Kingdom will take care of most of this, as it is an attack on their integrity that someone got away with it under their nose, it would be best for you to be in the know. The other documents are my medical history from last summer, including but not limited to potions and charms on my person that I had no knowledge of, and the result of a diagnostic charm Daphne Greengrass, the daughter of an Auror, cast on me at my request when I became suspicious of some of my actions just a few days ago._

_I would also like to add that if anyone comes to you telling you I’m missing, that it is a lie. As an emancipated minor, even before my OWL results, I made the decision to withdraw from Hogwarts._

_ Regards and many apologies for the mess that follows what you learn, _

_ Hadrian James Potter (hopefully soon to be Potter-Black-Lupin) _

_ Lord Potter _

_ Heir Black _

_ P.S. I’ve sent an edited copy of this letter to members of the Wizarding press. It’s not that I don’t trust you to do the right thing, I just don’t trust the Ministry. Sorry about this again. _

Amelia let out a breath of disbelief before reaching for the package. She would have seen the entire thing as a hoax if for one, she hadn’t heard such brilliant things about the young Lord from her niece and secondly, if she hadn’t realised that the parchment was soaked in truth serum.

It took her over three hours to go through every bit of evidence and at the end, she was almost nauseous in her disgust of Dumbledore, Fudge and their respective lackeys. She had also gained an immense amount of respect for Harry Potter and his real friends, including the Slytherins. Before she could do anything else, she was going to issue multiple arrests – the first of which was going to be Umbridge. She had been torturing children from every year but being very careful not to do it to those with powerful relatives or to any of the Slytherins. They were only relatively healthy because of the Murtlap Essence and student brewed Blood-Replenishing Potions they kept on hand. It was time to call in her Aurors. After Umbridge, she was going to weed out all those among her Aurors and Hit-Wizards in someone else’s pockets and begin her inquisition. It’s about time someone did something about the loose ends people have been leaving around.

~~~~~ Chapter Ends ~~~~~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've found any typos, please let me know. Feel free to give me some Kudos and comment and let me know what you think of this fic so far.


	3. The Aftermath - Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for the long af wait. I was just feeling not super motivated but then I completed this one!! To make up for the long wait, this chapter is three times longer than the previous two. Let me know in the comments below what you think and if you've found any typos. I'm hoping to put up a chapter a week even of at least 1,500 words like the first two. Thank you for the patience and here you are. Enjoy.

“Pup!”

“Cub!”

Harry let out a sigh of relief as he dropped his rucksack and stepped into Sirius and Remus’ arms. He tucked his head into his ex-professor’s neck, inhaling the calming scent of chocolate and books. Smiling against his skin, he allowed the two men to fuss over him – Sirius petting his hair while Remus held Harry’s face in his hands, scanning his face for what Harry didn’t know, before pressing a kiss to the teenager’s forehead.

“Come, sit. Your elf friend decided to take over the house-hold after Kreacher beheaded himself,” Sirius informed him, pulling him towards the kitchen as Remus swung an arm around Harry’s shoulders. The dark-haired boy looked around, noticing the general gloomy atmosphere of Grimmauld had been greatly reduced.  

“Dobby?” Harry called and he was answered by a crack.

“The Great Master Harry Potter is calling Dobby?” Large watery eyes shined in admiration at Harry.

Harry’s neck felt hot and he knew he was flushed. “Yeah, could you please take my rucksack up to a bedroom, please? It has my trunk shrunken in it as well. I’d prefer a room on the same floor as Siri and Remmy’s but not one that has been occupied in the past year.”

“Of course, Master Harry Potter, Sir. Dobby is preparing bedroom worthy of his great friend and Master,” Dobby bowed deeply before snapping his fingers and disappearing with a crack.

Harry rolled his eyes when Sirius snickered and repeated in a high-pitched voice ‘Great Master Harry Potter’.

“Shut up, Siri,” Harry lightly punched the older man’s shoulder with the hand that wasn’t being held. “I’m hungry so I hope Remmy did the cooking.”

Remus chuckled and ruffled Harry’s face before moving to Sirius and kissing away his mock-hurt pout. “Don’t pout, Paddy. Harry just doesn’t want to be the guinea pig for your ‘experimental recipes’ is all. Come on, Cub, and relax. I snuck out for take-out – I got some fish and chips.”

The three men sat at the kitchen table, Remus summoning the food packages. Harry tore into the delicious, greasy food, missing the knowing look Remus and Sirius exchanged over his head.

“How are you feeling, Siri?” Harry asked when he swallowed his first bite.

“Fantastic, Pup!” Sirius grinned in his favoured rogue-ish way making Remus roll his eyes.

“He’s lying. He’s usually asleep by this time and the only reason he isn’t is because he took a nap and woke up for dinner and you.”

“Moony,” Sirius whined and was ignored.

“But he’ll be okay, right?” Harry asked, frowning in concern as he covered Sirius’ free hand with his clean one. Sirius squeezed his hand reassuringly.

“I’ll be fine, Poppet,” Sirius sighed. “It’ll just take me a while to recover completely. I’m already way better than I was the night Moony yanked me out of that place.”

Harry shuddered slightly, remembering the combination of grief, fear, pain and anger the night at the Ministry had been. After being stopped by Remus when he tried to follow Sirius into the veil, he’d run after Bellatrix LeStrange – the reason for Sirius’ assumed death. Apparently without having to stop Harry, Remus had lunged for the veil and managed to grasp Sirius’ hand and yank him out with his werewolf strength.

Remus had later ransacked the Black library to make sure there were no ill side-effects and why it was even possible. It turned out that the only way one could be pulled out from the veil is if they were undeserving of the punishment or their soul-bonded mate reached for them. Because both conditions applied to Sirius and Remus, Sirius was the healthiest of the few who had come back out from the veil. Harry had learnt this during the few days he spent wandering Muggle England after leaving Hogwarts. He stopped at a different hotel each of the three nights, talking to the two Marauders over the communication mirrors before sleeping.

The small family chatted for a bit more while finishing up their meal. Later, the three of them were cuddled up on a sofa in front of a fireplace in a second-floor living room. They all needed and loved fireplaces: Remus because they warmed his aches after particularly difficult full-moons; Sirius because the fire and warmth reminded him he wasn’t in Azkaban anymore; and Harry because he had spent his childhood stuck in a cupboard with a thin, raggedy excuse for a blanket during the frigid English winters.

Remus and Sirius were supremely tactile, possibly a reflection from their more canine forms, and they were the first people Harry ever felt comfortable having in his personal space. As a result, Harry had quickly adapted – returning touches, hugs and cuddles with little trouble but only with the people he saw as his pseudo-parents. Now, drinking his hot chocolate that Remus had made for all of them, Harry told them of the letters he’d sent out and his actions before coming to the re-Fidelius charmed house.

“You caught Wormtail?!” Sirius exclaimed, his grip on Harry’s shoulder tight as his eyes widened in excitement.

“Yep. And he’s in the very welcoming custody of Madam Amelia Bones.”

“Oh, Cub,” Remus whispered, his eyes shinier than normal and he pulled Harry’s head closer to kiss the top of it. “You wonderful boy.”

The three of them continued to talk, the older two telling their boy stories of the early days of their relationship and his parents, carefully skipping over mentions of the rat. Slowly, the warmth and comfort lulled Harry into a doze, his head flopping onto Sirius’ shoulder.

“We should get him to bed,” Sirius whispered, moving carefully to avoid waking Harry up.

“I’ll get him,” Remus replied, standing up before leaning down to pick up the teenager.

“But-”

“Love, you’re still recovering. Let me do this,” Remus insisted, steadying Harry as he carried him bridal style.

The lovers smiled at each other as Harry only stirred to nuzzle the werewolf’s shoulder and put his arms around the man’s neck, half-asleep, before settling down.

“Is a fifteen-year old allowed to be that adorable?” Sirius asked as he took off Harry’s glasses. His mate grinned, shaking his head before leading the way to the room Dobby had cleaned up for Harry’s use. It was on the same floor as the living room they had just been in, same as the couple’s room.

They gaped for a second after opening Harry’s bedroom door. Dobby had decorated in the room in soothing shades of green and blue, the large four poster reminiscent of something that might’ve been found in the Slytherin dorms. The two of them realised it was a tongue-in-cheek reference to what might’ve been – not that Harry’s sorting would have made the men love him any less.

Remus moved to the bed and laid Harry in it. Sirius performed a switching spell, exchanging Harry’s travel worn clothes with a pair of comfortable silk pyjama bottoms from the nearby wardrobe. The couple had bought Harry an entire, more suitable, wardrobe over the course of the year. He hadn’t used much of it yet except for the underwear (he wouldn’t wear Dudley’s pants any longer than he absolutely had to). There had been no need to raise tension between himself and the youngest Weasley boy at the time with the elegant, and obviously expensive, clothes.

Sirius smiled at the snitches flying around on the dark night wear. He placed Harry’s glasses on the night-stand before pressing a kiss on Harry’s forehead. Remus copied the affectionate gesture as he tucked Harry in, his heart clenching as he realised this was the first time the couple had been able to do this – Fourteen years after they _should’ve_ started doing it for him. He sighed, stepping back and wrapping an arm around his lover’s waist.

“Come on, Love. You need your rest,” Remus said softly, pulling Sirius away to the door.

The two stood at the doorway as Sirius raised his wand and murmured a spell that released a small sphere of light that floated through the air before settling above the window opposite Harry’s bed. Once the sun rose, the light would fade. It was a spell Sirius used to perform for Harry when he used to baby sit him.

“What do you think about adopting him?” The tawny haired man asked, resting his chin on Sirius’ shoulder.

“You mean after I’m cleared? Legally or blood-adoption?” Sirius asked, leaning against his partner.

“Both? Whichever Harry wants.”

“How about we ask once I’m cleared?”

“Alright.”

                                                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The following days were spent making decisions about their future. They had mutually agreed to leave England as early as possible. It took two days after he’d arrived at Grimmauld Place for the papers to begin publishing his story. The following days _The Prophet, The Evening Prophet, Albion Times,_ and _The Quibbler_ had all published his entire letter, including quotes from it in various articles. Even the international press had gotten a hold of the story – but only publishing the more relevant parts like Sirius’ innocence and Dumbledore’s actions.

 

**_DOLORES UMBRIDGE – MINISTRY APPROVED TORTURER OF OUR CHILDREN!_ **

**_DEFEAT OF HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED BY HARRY POTTER_ **

**_FUDGE – MINISTER OR OSTRICH?_ **

**_SIRIUS BLACK INNOCENT? FRAMED BY TRAITOR PETTIGREW!_ **

**_GOLD DIGGING DUO – THE TRUTH BEHIND HARRY POTTER’S ‘BEST FRIENDS’_ **

**_HEADMASTER DUMBLEDORE – LIAR, THIEF AND ENCOURAGER OF CHILD ABUSE?_ **

****

All letters addressed to the family of three had been redirected to Gringotts to screen them for ill intent. It was with great relief that Sirius finally received a notice from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement (DMLE) informing him of his impending trial.

“What if it’s a trap?” Remus asked anxiously. The Ministry hadn’t really given them reason to trust them before.

“Madam Bones is sending her most trusted to escort us to the trial. And as a magically emancipated wizard – I’m not entirely useless. Sirius has been practicing and he used to be an Auror and you have a Defence Mastery. Not to mention we have back-up plans,” Harry assured the tall man. He was nervous as well but was only calm because of their contingency plans. They all carried emergency medical portkeys as they were the only ones that could get through even anti-portkey wards. Their destination would be the German Ministry of Magic – one of the more powerful Ministries in Europe – and ask for political asylum. This would allow Sirius to be tried in front of the ICW (International Confederation of Wizards) and since Dumbledore had been kicked out of the ICW the previous year, he wouldn’t be able to interfere.

            Sirius finally came down the stairs, clean-shaven and his hair was tied in a low ponytail with a black ribbon. He was dressed in black dress robes, the golden piping and red silk inside showing at the collar subtly showing his Gryffindor side while still looking every inch the pure-blood Lord he was (the Ministry had no right to revoke noble titles).

            “Remmy, you’re drooling,” Sirius commented with a wink. Remus sniffed in reply before stepping forward to smooth out non-existent wrinkles in his mate’s robe. Remus had been bullied into getting a few sets of high quality dress robes. Since Sirius still couldn’t risk being out and about, Dobby took Harry and Remus to a tailor who did emergency orders for upper-class clients in Paris. The werewolf was currently dressed in a set of simple bronze robes that complimented his dark amber eyes.

            “You don’t seem like you hate the way I look either,” Remus said, yanking Sirius closer by his waist.

            “Mmm… You look gorgeous, Love. You should wear this colour more often. Absolutely ravishing,” Sirius replied, putting his arms around Remus’ neck to bring him closer and kiss him.

            They were just moving from cute to inappropriate when Harry coughed to get their attention. Sirius pulled away, his eyes widening when he caught sight of his godson.

            “Poppet, you look beautiful!” Sirius pulled away from Remus to grab hold of Harry’s hands and make him twirl around.

            “I’m a boy, Siri.”

            “Doesn’t mean you can’t be beautiful. I’m beautiful and I’m most definitely not a woman.”

            “Something Remmy can attest to, I’m sure.”

            “Harry!” Remus squawked, flicking Harry’s head.

            “What?” Harry asked with a mischievous smile. “I meant because you shared a dorm for seven years. What did you think I was talking about?”

            Sirius let out a bark of laughter as he straightened out the collar of Harry’s robes. Harry had refused to go ‘traditional’ and was wearing wizarding wear in a more modern style. A white silk button-up and a pair of leather trousers in a green so dark it was almost black. Over that, he wore a black robe like Sirius except Harry’s was an open robe that tied around the middle, allowing the clothes underneath to show, and had dark green silk where Sirius had gold and red.

            “We’ve got five minutes to get to the meeting. Ready to leave?” Sirius asked.

            Remus and Harry nodded. Both still nervous but knowing they had back up plans and if forced to, could fight their way out.

            “Then let’s get to it.”

                                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The instant Sirius had demanded _Veritaserum_ , the courtroom had fallen silent. Harry and Remus were seated together in the front row opposite the defendant’s seat, the chains attached to the seat were thankfully not wrapped around Sirius.

            At Madam Bones’ nod, the Ministry appointed Potions Master stepped forward with a vial of clear liquid.

            “I’d like if someone else could verify this please?” Sirius said loudly.

            “Excuse me?” One of the Ministry employees blustered making Sirius roll his eyes.

            “It’s not that I don’t trust the Ministry. That’s not true, it _is_ that I don’t trust the Ministry. If you want a reason – how about I’m finally having a trial fifteen years after being imprisoned?”

            At that the protests died out. From the audience, a solitary figure stepped forward – Severus Snape.

            “I am a Potions Master, and willing to check the _Veritaserum_ ,” Snape stated in his drawling tone.

            Sirius was about to protest when he caught sight of Remus and Harry glaring at him.

            “Let him,” Harry mouthed to Sirius. Snape was one of the few people Harry knew who was a true Neutral. He played both leaders of the war while helping those he cared about as unobtrusively as possible.

            “Well, Mr. Black, will it be acceptable for Potions Master Snape to check the potion?” A court official asked.

            Sirius sighed, glanced longingly at his loves. Seeing their stubborn expression, the dark-haired man nodded. “I may not like the git but he’s good at what he does. Let him check.”

            Snape walked towards the Ministry Official, his boots clicking on the marble floor, looking completely unintimidated by the silence and attention. The official handed Snape the vial looking terrified. Harry found the reaction hilarious and would’ve laughed if he had seen it in any other setting.

            The Potions Master snatched the vial out of the other man’s hand with an unimpressed sneer. He broke the seal on the vial, shook the potion to check consistency, sniffed it and tilted the vial to allow a drop to fall on one of his fingers. He rubbed his thumb on the finger and held it to his nose as well.

            “The _Veritaserum_ is of passable quality for the questioning. However I would like to inform the defendant that this particular batch may have a higher chance of causing nausea and dizziness than a perfectly brewed one,” Snape said, his voice projecting to every corner of the court-room. Sirius looked surprised at the warning before nodding and tilting his head back. The Ministry worker was handed back the vial and he dripped three drops down Sirius’ throat as Snape walked back to the gallery.

            “Lie about your name,” He instructed Sirius.

            “Sirius Orion Po-Black.” Sirius’ spoke in a detached voice.

            “When were you born?”

            “November the 3rd, 1959.”

            “The defendant is ready, Madam,” the official bowed to Madam Bones and stepped back.

            “Mr. Black, are you or have you ever been a Death Eater?” Madam Bones asked, peering at him over her glasses.

            “No.”

            The crowd burst into activity until the Madam called for silence before continuing.

            “Have you ever been a supporter of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named also known as the Dark Lord Voldemort and Tom Marvolo Riddle?”

            “No.”

            “What happened on Samhain of 1989?”

            Sirius began his explanation, telling of how he found Pettigrew missing from his hideout, to when he’d been forced to give up Harry to Hagrid who had been acting on Dumbledore’s orders. “I couldn’t afford a duel with Harry in hand and Hagrid could’ve just knocked me out. My plan was to hunt down Pettigrew and hand him in before getting Harry back from wherever Hagrid had taken him. I had assumed Hogwarts.”

            “Assumed? So Mr. Potter was not taken to Hogwarts?” Bones asked with a frown.

            “Harry told me his Aunt let him know she found him on her doorstep on the morning of November 1st wrapped in a blanket among the milk bottles.  There was only a letter that informed her of the deaths of James and Lily and a threat to her family’s safety if she didn’t take him in.”

            “We’ll be adding kidnapping of a minor and a minor count of muggle baiting to Dumbledore’s charges then,” Bones muttered to her aide. Since the newspapers came out, Dumbledore had been hiding up in his tower according to Minerva. An investigation had been commissioned to discover every one of Dumbledore’s dirty secrets so they could convict him of every possible charge. He might be over 110 years old, but the Wizarding world had no statute of limitations on most crimes. “Tell us what happened on the fifth of November 1989 after you found Pettigrew.”

            Sirius did, also explaining that the ‘evil laugh’ Fudge claimed Sirius had been letting out was in fact hysteria.

            “Why did you break out of Azkaban in 1993 after so long being incarcerated?”

            “For Harry-”

            “Aha-” He was interrupted by one of Fudge’s lackeys.

            “Let him finish, Donoghue,” Bones said exasperated. “Please continue, Mr. Black.”

            “I escaped to protect Harry. I conned Fudge into giving me the Prophet and there was a photo of the Weasley family in it with Pettigrew in his rat form on the youngest boy’s shoulder. Which meant he would be at Hogwarts, where my Poppet was. I wouldn’t let that rat be anywhere near him when I could prevent it.”

            “Poppet?”

            “Yes. Harry.”

            Harry flushed when most of the room looked to him. He loved it when Remus and Sirius used terms of endearment for him and he didn’t like the judgemental looks he was getting from some of them. He raised an eyebrow at the people closest to him, looking generally unimpressed with their behaviour until some of them turned red in embarrassment and all of them looked away.  

            “Thank you, Mr. Black. The jurors will deliberate now,” Bones stood up, turning to the Jury and placing them under a silencing bubble. “Official Merryworth, please give Mr. Black the antidote.”

                                                                                                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was the longest, most stressful five minutes of Harry’s life, even with Remus’ hand clenched tightly in his as the older man hummed softly to him in an effort to calm both of them.

            “What song is that?” Harry thought it sounded oddly familiar.

            Remus stopped humming to covertly stick his tongue out at Sirius before answering Harry. “It’s a wizarding lullaby Lily learnt from Alice Longbottom and taught the rest of us. When you were cranky, which was rare mind you, it was the only thing that would calm you. Why?”

            Harry swallowed the lump in his throat. He could remember the song. Not all the words, but the tune was familiar to him. “I remember the sound of it,” Harry managed to choke out before composing himself.

            “Oh, Cub,” Remus breathed. Before he could say anything else, a bell echoed in the courtroom, signalling the end of the jury’s deliberation. He left off what he was going to say, taking a deep breath and intertwining his fingers with Harry’s.

            A member of the Jury stood up to speak. “We have made our decision. Sirius Orion Black, the Lord Black, has on the charge of the murder of Peter Pettigrew been found -innocent. On the charge of twelve counts of murder of a muggle without due cause – innocent. On the charge of two counts of assisted manslaughter in the case of James and Lily Potter – innocent. On the charge of being a Death Eater – innocent. Lord Black has been cleared of all charges. Restitution is to be paid for the loss of nearly a decade and a half of his life, the distress and pain caused to his Godson and Soul-Bonded in his absence and one Boon of his choice at the discretion of the Madam Bones.”

            The second she was done talking Harry launched forwards and over the barrier, along with Remus, towards Sirius who was still frozen in the seat in disbelief.

            “Padfoot?” Moony asked cautiously, the three of them ignoring the Madam and her aides discussing Sirius’s restitution.

            “I’m free?” Sirius murmured. He looked up, meeting Harry and Remus’s anxious, yet elated, faces. “I’m free.”

            “Yeah, yes you are, Love,” Remus sobbed.

            Sirius’s face stretched into a blinding grin as he stood up and yanked the two of them into a tight embrace. He pressed a kiss to Harry’s cheek and a harder one to Remus’s lips. “I’m not going anywhere, Moony. I’m right here. Going to be here for you and our pup for as long as possible. Alright, love?”

            Remus nodded, gathering his composure and discreetly wiping away his tears.

            “Hey, Poppet?”

            “Yeah, Siri?” Harry asked. He’d already wiped away his tears of relief on the shoulder of Sirius’ robe without him noticing.

            “What do you think of us adopting you?”

            “Really?” Harry looked between the two men, unable to hide the hope in his eyes and voice.

            “Really. We could adopt you only legally or legally in addition to a blood adoption. You’d get some of our features and possibly some traits.”

            “And my name?”

            “Well, you’re already a Potter-Black. You’ll just become a Potter-Black-Lupin.” Sirius said. “The both of us are already Black-Lupins, we just couldn’t register our bond with the Ministry because of the war.”

            “Then, yes. I’d love it if you adopted me. I think my parents wouldn’t mind that I called you parents as well, would they?”

            Remus and Sirius both tightened their hold on Harry.

            “They would’ve loved it. Would it be okay with you though?” Remus asked.

            Harry shrugged sheepishly. “I already think of both of you that way.”

            As the two looked like they were about to dissolve into tears, Madam Bones called the court room to order. Sirius turned to face Bones, one arm around Remus’ waist and the other around Harry’s shoulders.

            “Memos have been sent to every free magical person above the age of fifteen to update them of your innocence, Lord Black.”

            Sirius nodded respectfully and waited for her to continue.

            “As restitution, the Ministry will give you five thousand galleons for every twelve months you spent in Azkaban and a thousand galleons for every month since you escaped. In addition to that, your soul-mate bond has been registered in the records here, as is your magical guardianship over Heir Potter-Black in case of the rare possibility of his emancipation being negated. I would like to add that your ability to act as his magical guardian was never taken away as you were never magically convicted. Therefore, the charge of claiming illegal guardianship of a minor is being added to the long list of charges against Albus Dumbledore.”

            The vicious look that crossed all three faces gave Bones the slightest of shudders, but also a sense of satisfaction. “Would you like to ask for your boon now, or later?”

            Sirius gave a shallow bow to the jury and the Madam. “Now, please.”

            “What boon shall Britain’s Ministry of Magic bless for you, Sirius Orion Black?” She asked, using the formal wording.

            “I ask for the ability for my mate and myself to adopt our child in all but blood, my heir – Hadrian James Potter-Black, with as little difficulty as is possible.”

            Bones nodded immediately. “Easily done. You shall receive the paperwork within 24 hours and you may fill and lodge it with Gringotts. You are aware however that as an emancipated yet physically underage magical child, Heir Potter-Black must consent to this?” She looked questioningly at Harry.

            “Noble heir, is the idea of being adopted by the two men beside you something that you accept?”

            Harry took a deep breath and nodded respectfully. “Nothing would please me more, Madam.”

            “Then it is done. If you would like to complete a blood-adoption as well, that will be conducted through Gringotts.”

            Harry, Sirius and Remus nodded, smiling happily. 

            She sighed before causing a 'bang' noise with a spell. “With that, this hearing is complete. All reporters have been sworn into speak only the truth of today’s happenings and the transcript will be lodged in public records. Tomorrow will be the trial of Peter Pettigrew. I call this session to an end.”

            People began to exit the courtroom, magically unable to swarm the little family in the centre of the room, talking excitedly. The remaining Marauders and Harry waited for the room to empty before they could take a hidden exit out of the room that would lead outside the Ministry building. Only a high ranking official, like Madam Bones, would be able to access it and allow someone else to pass through.

            At last there were only two other people remaining in the room; Madam Bones and surprisingly, Snape – who was walking towards them. It wasn’t a well known fact, but the enchantments that prevented members of the gallery swarming the court floor was only active if there were ten people or more in the room.

            “Mutt, Wolf,” Snape greeted, pausing as he looked almost thoughtfully at Harry. “Potter. I hope you have an alternate means of escape from your adoring public than the court entrance.”

            “Sniv-” Sirius broke off due to an elbow in the ribs from Harry. “I mean – Yes, we do, Snape. Why are you concerned?”

            “Consider it a thank you,” He nodded at Harry. “For allowing me to be rid of one and possibly both of my masters. The second of which is possibly making his way here as we speak.”

            Harry, pleasantly surprised, let a smile cross his face. “You’re welcome, Master Snape. It was a genuine pleasure.”

            Snape raised an eyebrow at Harry’s respectful yet odd addressing of him. “Why not ‘professor’?”

            “Harry won’t be returning to Hogwarts. You are no longer his professor and because for some reason he doesn’t hate you, he’ll address you by your earned title,” Sirius answered, squeezing Harry’s shoulder.

            “I did wonder why Dumbledore wasn’t here to make a mess,” Remus commented once Snape nodded in acquiescence.

            A smirk flirted over the Potions Master’s face. “Minerva and I might have something to do with that.”

            “Oh?”

            “Hmm.. Yes. Somehow the memo for the timing for the trial that passed through the Deputy’s office informed him the trial began at half-past ten today.”

            “It’s a quarter-past right now,” Harry said, glancing at Remus’ watch.

            “Well then you had better hurry up and leave before he catches up, don’t you agree?” He said, glancing at Madam Bones who looked to be sending out a memo just out of hearing range. Catching the look, she smiled in satisfaction.

            “We’ve been trying to get Dumbledore to leave Hogwarts for days now. The wards won’t allow for the Headmaster or Mistress to be restrained on school grounds. I was just alerting the best of our hit witches and wizards of his imminent arrival.”

            The satisfied smirk that crossed Harry’s face looked unfamiliar to Snape, having never seen that expression before on that face. “Excellent. What do you think, Siri, Remmy? Time to leave?”

            “Oh yes, Poppet. To Gringotts we go. If you’re ready, my loves?” Sirius asked, grinning brightly.

            “Course, Paddy,” Remus replied as Harry nodded with him.

            The three thanked Madam Bones and the older two nodded stiffly at Snape as they began to follow the Madam to another part of the room. Harry lagged behind for a second, standing in front of Snape with the slightest of frowns on his face.

            “Thank you, Sir. For everything.”

            Snape’s eyes widened in shock and the knowing look the teenager gave him. His expression reverted to its usual disinterested one as he nodded.

            “I release you, Severus Tobias Snape, from the life-debt owed to my Sire that has been paid for many times over,” Harry said the ceremonial words and felt an odd snap in his own and Snape’s magic. He gave the dour man one last smile. “Maybe I’ll see you around someday.”

            Harry turned on his heel and hurried after his parents-to-be, his mind blissfully unburdened by worry. He had just been about to pass the exit Madam Bones had been holding open for him when a shout echoed through the hallway outside, audible due to the emptiness of the court-room.

            “Albus Dumbledore! You are under arrest for crimes against the magical people and magical children!”

            Harry grinned in satisfaction, the announcement music to his ears.  

                                                                                                  ~~~~~~~~~Chapter End~~~~~~~~~

                                    

 


	4. An Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Over a year has passed since Harry was adopted by the Black-Lupins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daidí - Irish for Father   
> Hello again, I'd apologise for being late but it doesn't mean anything with how I've been late with every chapter. All I can say is that I'll try. I go ages without feeling like writing and then finish a chapter in a few hours before posting it up. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one.

Harry was sprawled over a chaise lounge with a Charms theory book in a large living room, waiting for the fireplace to turn green.

“Poppet?”                                        

The young man turned to look to the doorway. “Yeah, Papa?”

“When are your friends getting here?”

Harry glanced at the antique grandfather clock in the corner. “The twins should be here any minute, Neville, Luna and Ginny will be here about ten minutes after, Draco and Blaise will come by after lunch. Ginny can’t come here directly from the Burrow since she’s still living with those shites-“

“Language!” Came the chiding from behind Sirius as the man’s husband popped around the doorway.

“Yes, Daidí,” Harry said with a roll of his eyes.

Just as it looked like Remus was about to toss a tickling jinx at Harry, the fire in the fireplace flared green as a tall red-head stepped through. He was immediately followed by his twin. In unison, the two of them swept away the soot with a wave of their wands.

“Harry!” They chorused with bright smiles.

“Fred! George!” Harry marked his place in the book before banishing it to his room with a wave of his wand. He was immediately sandwiched between the two taller men in a tight hug.

“Absolutely spiffing to see you, favourite brother of ours,” Fred said, stepping away with George as the two gave him a look over.

“It is indeed, brother mine. Our youngest brother is looking rather delicious too, isn’t he?” George said, winking at Harry making the younger man narrowed his eyes and flushed.

“Alright, you two. No flirting with my son unless you mean it,” Sirius said, in a tone that could be joking or serious.

The twins, deciding to stick to the safe option, stepped away from Harry to greet his parents. “Padfoot, Moony.” The red-heads proceeded to bow deeply as the Marauders rolled their eyes. They got to talking until eventually the other three expected guests arrived.

“Harry?” Ginny’s eyes widened as she took in Harry’s appearance. She was the only one of the group who hadn’t seen him in the year since his adoption. His already stunning green eyes had visible flecks of amber running through them, more apparent thanks to the eye correction potions. Harry’s hair was now a shade of black so dark, it appeared dark blue in some lights – Like Sirius’ – and it was also tamer, reaching his chin in soft, healthy waves. His other features had also altered slightly – his cheekbones more prominent (like his Papa) and his chin rounder and limbs longer (Like his Daidí). Thanks to a year of regular, healthy eating, exercise and a regimen of health potions, the bit of added height did not make him look like a scarecrow. Overall, he’d only become more attractive.

“Hey, Ginny,” Harry grinned. “Ready to see what you got for your OWLs?”

Her eyes widened. “How much longer will the letters take to get here?”

Harry glanced at his parents and Sirius decided to answer. “As compared to London? About the same amount of time.” The Manor the Black-Lupins had been residing in since a short while after Sirius’ trial was in the south of Ireland.

“Come on, I’ll give you guys a tour. We’ve made a few changes. Nev, pick a few cuttings from the greenhouse out back. Oh and Luna, thanks for telling me to open up the shed out on the grounds.”

Neville thanked him while Luna waved the thanks away with a soft smile. “It was no trouble.”  

It was called a shed only in the loosest of terms as it was about the size of the entire lower floor of the Dursley’s old house. The structure had been falling apart as unlike the rest of the grounds and the Manor, it had been warded against House-elves and thus couldn’t be taken care of by the helpful beings. Harry had cleared it out and made a project of rebuilding it in between his studies. It became his own private space and his parents never entered it. Harry usually went there to relax, experiment, and visit the variety of animals that made the structure their home, especially during the winter. The only long-term residents were Remus and Sirius’ owl, Freija, Hedwig, and a Kneazle that had gone away a few months previously only to return the previous month pregnant. Harry and Remus had playfully argued before settling on calling her ‘Aoife’ – Irish for ‘beauty’. According to a book Harry had sent out for, the kneazle was due at the end of the month, around Harry’s 17th birthday.

He took his friends out to meet Aoife and they ended up relaxing under a large tree and a cooling charm. Dobby popped by eventually to bring them sandwiches and drinks for lunch. They had just about finished when Draco and Blaise exited the house, heading towards them just as a parliament of owls swept over the group, dropping letters over the lot of them before landing on the branches  of a nearby tree. A snap of Harry’s fingers brought Dobby to them once more.

 “Dobby, please feed those owls before they make the flight back.”

“Of course, Master Harry,” the elf’s head bobbled in assent before he popped away. It had taken ages for the house-elf to stop calling Harry a long list of honorifics each time he addressed the young man.

“So, how’d you guys do?” Harry asked curiously. He’d snuck in to take his OWLs in Ancient Runes and Arithmancy after talking privately to the examiners and so had gotten O’s in every subject except History (in which he got an E) and Divination – which he’d applied to have stricken from his record. Harry would be taking his NEWTs in the middle of August at the French Ministry of Magic, nearly a year earlier than his ex-year mates. OWLs and NEWTs could be taken at major schools of magic or Ministry of Magic. Thankfully, all exams were charmed to translate into the student’s native tongue if it wasn’t already in the required language. There was no way he’d voluntarily go to the British Ministry for any reason but an emergency. Not after the debacle his fifth year had been. Umbridge had been arrested before the article even came out and Fudge sacked soon after. There had been a power struggle during the time right after that that Amelia Bones came out on top of right before Sirius’ trial.

“All O’s,” Luna said with a pleased smile.

“As expected,” Ginny commented with a grin. “I’ve got O’s in Transfiguration, Creatures and DADA; E’s in Charms, Herbology, Arithmancy and Potions and an A in History.”

All of them congratulated the two girls on their grades and their conversation turned to other topics.

 

                                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry let out a relieved sigh and dropped his pen as the examiner called out to drop their writing implements. Apparently other Magical communities had learned to combine the simple conveniences of the muggle work and magic without losing the Traditions they had come from. After the first of his NEWTs, he’d swapped out quills for pens for the exams. The rooms and all the furniture had intent based anti-cheating charms and wards on them to prevent deceit. He’d eventually gotten the hang of using the blasted feathers with his parents’ help but he did prefer pens and pencils.

When they called the gruelling exams ‘Nastily Exhausting’, they meant it. Harry had been studying and preparing for at least ten hours a day, six days a week (apart from the occasional holiday) since the September his sixth year should’ve started. He’d worked hard - he had to in order to complete two out of three of the most intense years of primary magical education in half the time. It was the first-time Harry could openly put his intelligence and ambition to excel to use. The Black-Lupins (All three of them) had discovered that he thrived in high pressure situations even academically.

As soon as his scroll had been collected, Harry gathered his writing implements and bottle of water before rushing out to meet his parents.

“Hey Cub, how’d you go?” Remus asked, smiling as he watched his husband cuddle their son. _Their son._ He didn’t think the novelty of it all would ever go away. The combination of the couple’s features and those of their best friends in their favourite person would always be something for them to marvel at. Remus knew that Harry had long since grown used to the awed and love filled looks the two Marauders shot at him occasionally and had gone from flushing slightly to almost preening at them. The wolf in himself often had the urge to give him a tongue bath and cover him in his scent to mark him as ‘Cub’. After Harry had urged him to, he’d eventually stopped taking Wolfsbane and started to run around with his Siri, just like they did as children. It had led to him almost merging with the wolf and the improved health of both his forms. Of course, Harry’s urging had been of the foolishly dangerous version. The teenager walked out of the house during the full moon as a human rather than the Tamaskan puppy (a wolf-like dog) of his Animagus form and Moony hadn’t hesitated to run up to him and lick his exposed hands and face before nudging him to join the cuddle pile.  

“It went pretty well,” he answered with a grin, before scowling playfully at his Papa for messing up his hair. Harry pulled away from Sirius before running his hand through his hair to settle it before tucking part of it behind his right ear, revealing the two piercings in the cartilage he’d gotten in celebration of turning 17.

“Ready to relax for the rest of the year?” Sirius asked as he threw an arm around his son’s shoulder and grabbing his mate’s hand to intertwine their fingers.

“Yep. At least until Uni,” Harry said, rolling his eyes when his Papa and Daidí made to look astonished.

“Our little Poppet, a swot. Remmy, I blame you,” the dark haired man announced dramatically as they reached the floo, before adding thoughtfully, “And Lily.”

“You got almost all O’s as well, Love. As did James. It’s all of our faults, really.”

Harry let out a laugh as Sirius shot his Bonded a wounded look. “Et tu, Remmy?”

“Yep,” The tawny haired man replied, shoving his love into the fireplace. “Now, hurry it up. Dobby promised to have chicken casserole waiting when we get back.”

                                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry put down the kneazle-hybrid kitten he’d run the diagnostic charm over. It was the second oldest of Aoife’s litter and it had come down with the sniffles a few days earlier. He’d since learnt a few charms to help him take care of the animals that populated their property. The little furball licked his hand before ambling back to its mother.

The youngest of the litter however was currently perched in Harry’s hair, its dark fur allowing it to blend in. A week after giving birth, Aoife had come up to him and sniffed him before scenting each of her eight kittens. On reaching the youngest, and smallest, she picked him up and presented him to Harry until the teenager picked it up and give it a little cuddle. Kneazle and kneazle hybrid kittens went through the helpless bit of their early life quickly, like most magical beings.

A wolf patronus suddenly appeared in front of him.

“Hey, Poppet. You’ve got a few letters here for you,” Came his Papa’s voice.

Harry’s eyes widened. They had to be the letters from the Universities! It was the first week of October and letters from his friends could’ve waited until he’d come into the house. He didn’t bother to run, simply apparating into the front hall and walking quickly to the living room where he could hear his parents talking.

“Papa? Daidí? Are they-” Harry couldn’t complete his sentence as his breath caught in his throat at the sight of three letters in his Daidí’s hand. He was pulled forward by both of them and seated between the couple as he was handed the letters.

He took a deep breath to calm himself before ripping apart all the envelopes and reading all of them quickly.

_“_ L’Ecole des arts magiques _would like to offer you_ …” (The School of the Magical Arts)

“ _We would be pleased to welcome you to the New York University of Magic…”_

The most important one was the last one opened –

_“… Your excellent OWLs and NEWTs grades combined with your high score of 186/200 on the Entrance test (a grade in the upper most tier of results) give us the pleasure of offering you a place at_ Universiteit van tovenarij _beginning January 1998…”_ (University of Sorcery)

“Well?” Sirius and Remus asked, looking impatient.

“I got in,” Harry mumbled, staring incoherently at the acceptance and his score. Ever since he’d read up on higher education in the Magical world during the Tri-Wizard Tournament he’d dreamed of going to the Neutral elite Dutch university. It had a reputation for being incredibly difficult to get into because of the demanding entrance test and course-load, therefore accepting only the best of the best. The courses were taught by the best of the best in their fields – usually graduates of the University itself. Also, because of their location and reputation it was a place where his name probably wouldn’t get a significant reaction and its intensely private atmosphere meant he wouldn’t be hounded by the British public.

“Oh, Poppet,” Sirius whispered, exchanging proud glances with his Bonded. “We knew you could do it.”

“I got in!” Harry exclaimed a good minute later. “I’m going to Uni!”

“Yes, you did Cub,” Remus grinned as the two men squished the now enthusiastic teenager until he stopped wriggling and leaned into their embrace.

“We’re so proud of you,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to the dark hair in front of him.

“It’s clearly the more competent of schools too,” Harry pointed out making his parents grin. He’d been extoling the virtues of Universiteit van tovenarij ever since he’d left Hogwarts.

“How so?”

“Well, Papa, Daidí, it’s the only one to get my name right.” He showed them the addressing that read ‘Hadrian Potter-Black-Lupin’ while the other two read ‘Harry Potter-Black’. A few acceptances he’d gotten earlier from Universities that he’d not even applied to had read only ‘Harry Potter’.

The Magical population was only about one-seventh of the Muggle population and of that, less than half had the minimum power required to go to the major magical schools. The relatively lower numbers meant that all Higher Education Institutes in the magical world were sent NEWTs results of graduating students from every major school. If they weren’t Graduates from community and smaller locale schools could also apply to Universities but they had to show they were willing to put in the effort and pass the minimum requirements to be eligible for scholarships. The entrance exam was only for these students except at Universiteit van tovenarij where there were two exams for those not from one of the big schools – to show them where to improve and make up for the possibly lower quality of education.

“If they weren’t competent enough to find out my real name, they aren’t competent enough to teach me without bias,” Harry said, affecting a snooty tone and mimicking his blond best-friend.

Sirius rolled his eyes as he muttered - “Of course, Master.”

“Whatever you say, Master,” Remus joined in.

“Mew,” Came the soft sound from Harry’s hair, ruining the effect of his scowl and leading to the couple’s laughter.

                                                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                                                                

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave a comment telling me what you think about the chapter or if you've got any questions/ typos you've found. Thanks, and much love to you guys <3


	5. The University Years

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd apologise but really, it's kind of redundant at this point. All I can say is that while writing this one, I also wrote three chapters of another fic I got inspiration for. I'd like to thank all the kudos and comments I've gotten so far and I hope you like this chapter <3 And like at any other time, I welcome constructive criticism and the pointing out of typos.

**_March 1999_ **

‘Nyxie! Get back here!’ Harry called out, speeding up to catch up with his wayward kitten ‘Nyx’. It was his second year at Uni and he adored the environment and his studies. He’d dithered between what to do his degree in and decided at the beginning of the current year to specialise in Healing – a course that would take four to five more years – and Charms. The Charms course was comparatively lighter, and as such he could finish it within the next year.

                Universiteit van tovenarij surprisingly had a few familiar faces, one of whom had enchanted his Kitten and was usually her destination when she ran from him.

                ‘Arry! Your little lost kitten is ‘ere,’ Fleur called out from her place in the courtyard, holding up a distinctly mischievous looking black kitten.

                Harry sighed before grabbing the sulking kitten and setting her on his shoulder. ‘ _Merci, Fleur. Ca va_?’ (Thank you, Fleur. You’re well?)

                ‘ _Ca va. Ca va?’_ (I am. And you?)

_‘Ca va,’_ Harry smiled as his kitten licked his ear and scampered up to her spot on his head. ‘Don’t you have an exam in a few hours?’ (I am well.)

                ‘ _Oui, mon petit frere,_ ’ Fleur nodded, standing up and rearranging some of her notes before standing up and pressing a familiar kiss to Harry’s cheek before bidding him goodbye and hurrying away. (Yes, my little brother) She’d taken him under her wing as soon as they’d run into each other the first week after Harry began classes, helping him practice French so that he, in her words, wouldn’t have ‘ _zat ridiculous English accent in his French’._

Though there was a translation charm built into the wards of the campus, a feature of it allowed the charm to lose its effectiveness as one gained their own knowledge of a certain language. Harry already knew some of the basics of French from primary school and the Beauxbatons students in his fourth year and so recently he’d become more fluent in the language. Along with the Universities many courses, they also had language classes and offered the opportunity to gain certificates for competency in them that could allow one to test out of them. Harry’s aim was to test out of the French this year and learn as many languages he could spare the time to learn while he was at Uni. Since he already knew the basics of Dutch, seeing as how he _was_ in the Netherlands, it was his next language course.

                                                                 ~~~~~~~~~~

**_June 2003_ **

Harry grinned at his hooting parents as he crossed the stage to get his degree certification.

‘Hadrian Potter-Black-Lupin, the graduate who earned among the top grades to pass through Universiteit van tovenarij, he has earned his Charms degree with honours, a degree in Healing – with a minor in medical potions, and language competency certificates in French, Dutch and Greek. He also completed the entirety of his course four months ahead of the expected time leading to his graduation this month instead of December,’ Headmistress Amalia Van Rompaey smiled and nodded at Harry before going on. ‘It is also a pleasure to announce that Master Potter-Black-Lupin will be joining the staff of Universiteit van tovenarij next year to replace one of our Charm Mistresses, soon-to-retire Madame LeBeaux, and to join our medical staff.’

                Harry received his diploma from the Headmistress and bowed respectively before joining the rest of the graduates to the side. He didn’t know too many of them well but smiled pleasantly at them anyway. After a closing ceremony and a Blessing led by the senior staff, Harry got off the stage and moved quickly to enter his parents’ embrace.

                ‘Oh, Poppet, we’re so proud!’ Sirius said, squeezing his son in a tight hug before passing him to Harry’s Daidí who repeated the sentiment.

                ‘Our little Cub, a professor. I’m so pleased you decided to follow in my footsteps instead of your layabout Papa’s,’ Remus said with a discreet wink, smirking at the offended gasp his husband let out. ‘So, what do you want to do, now?’

                Harry glanced to away for a second, blushing slightly at a wink fellow graduate, Keegan Dunn, sent him. ‘Um, I think I might have a date tonight.’

                ‘What?’ Sirius demanded, looking around before glaring at Dunn. ‘I don’t like the look of him.’

                Harry rolled his eyes. ‘You don’t like the look of anyone who might be interested in me.’

                ‘Of course not, no one’s good enough for my Poppet.’

                ‘Oh, leave off, Siri. Let Harry have his fun, it’s just a date – isn’t it, Cub?’ Remus asked, looking curiously at his son before tucking his hair behind the younger man’s ear.

                Harry leaned into the hand before nodding. ‘Yes, Daidí. He’s leaving soon to work in the Spanish Ministry of Magic so it’s just one date. He’s one of the few friends I made in this graduating class.’ Twenty-two years old or not, neither of his parents _could_ refuse the barely-there pout on his face.

                Because of his iffy upbringing, Hogwarts, and Voldemort, Harry had trouble connecting to people and as such only made the rare friend every now and then, preferring to concentrate on his beloved studies and his true friends from Hogwarts, seeing them whenever time would allow. In fact, Luna and Neville had both passed through Universiteit van tovenarij, doing short one-year courses in Magi-zoology and Herbology respectively. And as he didn’t like the idea of boarding on Campus as a student, he’d lived with his parents on a Black property on the outskirts of the country only doing the occasional all-nighter on campus to get assignments done.

                ‘And you don’t mind doing your travelling with these two old codgers?’ Sirius asked, his tone joking but eyes solemn.

                Harry smiled softly before standing on his toes to press kisses to both men’s cheeks. ‘What old codgers? I only see my lovely young parents - who are yet to always remember the value of silencing charms.’

                Sirius flushed slightly as Remus chuckled and leered at his husband. ‘It’s only ever not cast when it’s your Papa’s turn to do so.’

                ‘Too much information,’ Harry said quickly before pouncing on them to hug them again. ‘I’ll be home sometime tonight, if not tomorrow morning.’ He looked embarrassed even as he gave the two older men a sly wink.

                ‘Too much information,’ Remus said, imitating Harry. ‘Our portkey to Athens leaves two days from now so just remember you need to finish packing up your room for the elves before then. They need to take everything to the Manor in Ireland. We’ll be back to the Manor for your Birthday before leaving again until November.’

                Harry nodded. That would give him time to find an apartment near the University and to plan lectures and experiments before classes started in January.

                                                                                  ~~~~~~

**_October 2008_ **

‘Oh Poppet, he’s got your nose, the little tyke does,’ Sirius cooed, swaying slightly, the new-born baby held carefully in his arms.

                Harry grinned, pleased but tired from the hours of pushing. ‘You wouldn’t think he was little if you’d had to push him out of your brand-new temporary lady parts, Papa.’

                Sirius squirmed at the thought before handing the child back to Harry and dropping into a nearby chair. ‘Back to Mama you go, grand-baby.’ Barely a second later, he sighed in relief as his husband re-entered the hospital room. Harry had refused to give birth anywhere but the health ward of the University as he knew and trusted all his colleagues here.

                ‘The nurse is coming to fill in the birth certificate,’ Remus informed them as he sat down slowly beside Harry on the bed. He smiled and reached out to trace a finger down the angry red – but calming – cheek of the child. ‘Is Leo not here, yet?’

                Harry sighed and shook his head as he kissed the top of his child’s head. ‘No. Something about work.’ He smiled softly, looking in awe as the baby blue eyes blinked bleary-eyed at him.

                He missed the warning glare Remus threw at Sirius’ coughed “piece of shit” comment before looking at his son in concern. ‘What about his name? And where are you going after? You know you’re welcome home, don’t you?’

                Harry winced as he shifted his sore, healing body slightly to lean into his Daidí. ‘Honestly, if the bas- _it_ can miss his son’s own birth without a valid reason, he doesn’t get a say in his name. You know, I told him it could possibly be a girl and he immediately lost interest in my tummy.’  Harry remembered the confusion and hurt when his lover’s doting on his swollen abdomen became cool indifference. Leo had been his lover for two years when they accidentally conceived – a fact Harry thought _both_ of them were pleased about. ‘And of course. I’ll be back on my feet in a week and term ends soon anyway. I’m taking a year sabbatical and I was planning on spending it with you two at home.’

                A knock interrupted Remus’ reply as a nurse poked her head into the room. ‘Harry? _Ben je klaar_?’ (Are you ready?)

                ‘ _Ja, Anna,_ ’ Harry replied, inviting her in with a nod (Yes, Anna). After a quick health scan of Mama and Baby, they were both declared in good health – with Harry requiring the required week of mostly bed-rest – and the birth certificate was filled in.

                         ‘ _Matteo Romulus Potter-Black-Lupin was born to_

_Bearing Parent – Hadrian James Potter-Black-Lupin and Donating Parent - _________

_On this day October 23 rd 2008 at 05:43 pm’ _

                                                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

‘How come he got a reference in Mattie’s name?’ Sirius asked, not really upset but pouting simply because he could. He’d waited a surprising amount of time before springing it on his son.

                Harry rolled his eyes as he signed the discharge papers. ‘Stop your whining. Daidí, shut your husband up in an acceptable way, please? I say ‘acceptable’ because snogging in my work-place does not count.’ Harry had honestly considered using ‘Lupus’ as a middle name as it was a wolf reference and a constellation – but he was _not_ naming his child after an auto-immune disease. He explained this before promising to reference his Papa in his next child’s name.

                Remus rolled his eyes as he slapped the back of Sirius’s head before taking their grandchild from him and cooing at the baby. The dark-haired man pouted at him before glancing at the paperwork over Harry’s shoulder. ‘Next? We get more grand-babies? Not with that dipshit though, right?’ Sirius asked, lowering his voice at the insult as he gestured to Harry’s Italian lover walked through the Ward doors.

                ‘Harry, _cara_. Is this your daughter?’ Leo asked, barely glancing at the child in Remus’ arms before pressing a perfunctory kiss to Harry’s forehead. His usually keen brown eyes hadn’t even noticed Harry’s unimpressed scowl.

                ‘No, Leo. This is my son.’

                ‘A son? We have a son?’ Leo’s eyes brightened before he moved closer to get a better look. Harry blocked his way and crossed his arms across his chest.

                ‘No, Leonardo. _I_ have a son. _You_ have an ex-boyfriend and _possibly_ a child. I’ll allow visiting rights of course, but only because I’m not heartless. Now if you’ll excuse me, my son needs to be taken home. I’ll owl you when I’ve established visiting times. Goodbye, and good riddance Leo.’

                ‘But he’s my _son_. He has to have my name!’ Leo protested, eyebrows furrowing as he finally noted how unhappy Harry was with him.

                ‘Funny thing, magical births. Did you know, that the bearer has all rights to the child? And if the donor parent has willingly washed their hands of the baby, before or after the birth, said bearer decides the child’s family and family name? Ciao, Leo. Have a good life as you think about that.’ Harry spun on his heels and strode away, his parents on either side of him as his Daidí handed Matteo to him.

                ‘You deserve better, Poppet. You and mini-poppet both. But don’t worry, you’ll always have me and your Daidí,’ Sirius said as he pulled Harry closer to him and pressing a kiss to the younger man’s forehead.

                The tension on Harry’s face eased as a smile replaced it. ‘I know, Papa. I love you both.’

                ‘We love you too, Cub,’ Remus said, as he held open the Ward door for his precious people to pass by him. ‘You and Matty, both.’

                                                                 ~~~~~~~~~

**_September 2010, Hogwarts, Scotland_ **

Headmistress McGonagall stood up from her seat and cleared her throat, watching pleased as the Great Hall fell silent. ‘Thank you. Now that you’ve all been fed, I have an important announcement to make. As some of you may have heard, the Dutch University ‘Universiteit van tovenarij’ suffered the loss of two of their students and great structural damage to their campus after an experiment gone wrong conducted by said students. As such, Hogwarts as the largest structure of learning that can support their numbers has been offered as a temporary base for them. Selected staff and all students from the University will be arriving here two days from today, on Friday evening. Please respect them and any announcements, warnings or notices their staff may give out due to the sensitive nature of their education. I must ask you to be on your best behaviour. There is no need for the foremost magical educational institution to think us savages. Thank you for your time. Prefects, please lead your housemates to your dorms. Goodnight.’

                As the students dispersed, Severus leaned closer to Minerva to speak to her. ‘I did not have the chance to ask earlier, but will we be having to make any changes to our scheduling or such to accommodate our guests?’

                ‘No, Severus. They will be trying to minimise the number of staff they bring to allow the others to work on the rebuilding and structuring of the damaged structures. Most of them have dual qualifications and can take care of all of the students, who are definitely better behaved that school-aged students from what I hear.’ Minerva, like many of her colleagues earned her Master as an apprentice rather than at a University – a choice that offered more opportunities to learn and less restrictions. ‘I plan to cordon off one of the unused wings after the house-elves dust and clean all the rooms in it tomorrow. Perhaps an age-line. I’ve exchanged letters with the deputy who will be arriving in place of the Headmistress who has to stay behind in an official capacity. They plan to stay out of our way as much as possible to avoid causing any inconvenience.’

                Severus raised an eyebrow before nodding and turning to his godson. ‘You look especially excited about this news, Draco.’ Draco had joined the staff when Minerva decided that every non-elective subject require two teachers – one to teach up until Fifth year and the more experienced one to teach the NEWTs students. Severus’ disposition had improved greatly with the shift to teaching only serious students and the extra time for research and experimentation when his Godson joined the staff after earning his Mastery.

                The blond man grinned. ‘One of the staff is an old friend, haven’t seen him in a while actually. I’m excited, is all.’

                Severus smirked slightly. ‘And how will Mr. Zabini feel about this excitement?’

                Draco rolled his eyes at Severus. ‘He’ll feel the same of course. Blaise hasn’t seen him since long before I did.’

                The older man ‘hmm’d thoughtfully before standing up. ‘I’m interested to meet this friend.’

                Draco hid his smirk as he bid goodnight to the other staff members before following his fellow Potions teacher to the dungeons where their suites shared a corridor.

                                                                ~~~~~~~~~

 

               

               

                 


End file.
